Mixed signals: How does Donald Trump really feel about Boeing?

Donald Trump wanted to rip up a major deal with Boeing Tuesday, saying that spending $4 billion on two Air Force One presidential planes was “totally out of control.”

But less than three months ago, before the election, Trump was supportive of the Seattle-based aerospace company when speaking with KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson, saying he was the only candidate who could bolster the company.

A Trump trade war and other economic concerns for Washington

On Aug. 29, the then-presidential candidate told Dori that he couldn’t guarantee companies like Boeing wouldn’t leave Washington if someone else was elected but that “a lot of good things are going to happen” in the state if “politicians are careful.” The question was about whether there would ever need to be a wall between the US and Canada. Here was his answer:

Well, I think it’s unlikely, to be honest with you. A lot of good things are gonna happen with Washington state if the politicians are careful. But you’d better be careful because you know what’s going on with Boeing and Boeing is building massive facilities in China and then they’ll drop their currency and they’ll start devaluations as they always do and they’ll start taking your business away and you won’t have much of Boeing … If I’m president, that won’t happen but, believe me, they’re looking to get your businesses out of there and you know how bad the trade deals have been for Washington state, because they’re very unfair deals. Now you live with them but we should do more than live with them, but the deals have been very, very unfair, the trade deals that have been made.

Trump was then asked about trade deals and what, specifically, he could do to keep Boeing from outsourcing?

Well, look, basically you have to create something where other countries — and mostly it’s countries — but other countries are not devaluing their currency. You look at what’s going on with China, you look what’s going on with other countries that are competitors of ours, and competitors, in a sense, of Boeing, and they make it impossible for your companies and your local companies to compete. And before you know it, they won’t even be making the planes in Seattle, they won’t even be making the planes in the State of Washington. You watch. Hopefully, I get in so you won’t have that problem, but if I don’t get in, I guarantee you someday you’ll be calling, you’ll be saying, ‘I remember when this guy, Trump, was saying this is exactly what was going to happen.’ And you’ll see. Look at what’s going on with China, look at the facilities they’re building over there, so you better be very careful because they’re looking to take your business.

China and Boeing

The Associated Press reports that Boeing is being thrown into another fight related to Trump’s policies. It turns out that some of Trump’s proposals to impose tariffs on imported goods from China have rubbed the country the wrong way. If policy threatens Chinese trade, China may strike back by moving its business to European companies. Boeing and Airbus are specifically pointed out.

The Associated Press reports:

China’s Global Times newspaper, published by the ruling Communist Party’s People’s Daily, speculated that if Trump’s proposed tariffs are enacted, ‘China will take a tit-for-tat approach.’

‘A batch of (U.S.) Boeing orders will be replaced by (Europe’s) Airbus,’ it said. ‘U.S. auto and iPhone sales in China will suffer a setback, and U.S. soybean and maize imports will be halted.’

More behind the Boeing tweet than meets the eye

Trump’s tweet about his unhappiness over Air Force One costs came at 8:52 a.m. E.T. Monday. He later told CNN that the cost is “totally out of control” and that he thinks “Boeing is doing a little bit of a number. We want Boeing to make a lot of money but not that much money.” The reasons for this statements varied, with aerospace industry expert Richard Aboulafia saying Trump’s comments were “complete madness,” while Vice President-elect Mike Pence said that Trump was demonstrating that he is a “business man who sharpens his pencils.”

Both comments, however, came after reports about how Trump’s tweet on the issue came 24 minutes after the Chicago Tribune tweeted a story about Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg criticizing Trump on his trade policies. The Tribune was similarly dumbfounded by Trump’s response, noting that the Republican’s personal jet is a Boeing 757 and that Trump has held shares in the company, “even excitingly tweeting about its rising share price.” Then again, a Trump spokesperson told the Washington Post that Trump sold off all of his entire stock portfolio in June. And with Boeing’s stock falling nearly $2 a share before markets opened on Tuesday in wake of Trump’s comments … let’s just say it’s all very complicated.

Washington Congress member Rick Larson tried to simplify it by saying Trump might not fully understand what he’s tweeting about.

“I do think that he’s getting way out in front of the tips of his skis on this,” he said.

Larson added that Air Force One will be built in Everett, not moved overseas to cut costs.

Richard Oxley contributed to this story.

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